Q: Good day Dr. Ketch, I am in my early month of pregnancy and is finding it difficult to pass stool. Please help.

A: Welcome to the land of pregnancy and raging hormones!!! This is going to be an interesting period in your life and your hormones are going to act up in different ways.

Constipation is common in pregnancy and is due to the hormones of pregnancy, which make the muscles of your digestive tract work in a more leisurely manner. This ensures that food stays longer in the tract, more nutrients are absorbed from it (so that more nutrients can go to baby) but also more water is absorbed from it, leaving the poop hard and constipated. The iron-containing pre-natal drugs may also contribute to this but you do have to take them ;D

Tips to help you deal with the constipation include:

• Adding more fruits and veggies to meals.
• Eating small quantities at a time. You could try to aim for 5 small meals (breakfast, lunch dinner and 2 snacks in between) per day containing fruits, Veggies, complex carbs and proteins. Snacks can be a handful of nuts, etc
• Drink sufficient amounts of water. At least 8 glasses. Remember that this depends on your activity and weather condition. If you find yourself in a hot environment where you’re sweating a lot, by all means drink some more.
• Some activity is also useful in getting things ‘down there’ to move along 😀 Remember to check with your doctor, what activities are safe for you to undertake when pregnant.
• Yoghurt with probiotics is also a great idea and helps the stomach bacteria break down the food and more importantly, keep it moving along.

For more symptoms of pregnancy and the red flags, please click on the link below:

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2013/10/26/baby-in-the-tummy-its-all-up-to-mummy-is-it/

Have a fabulous week, people 😀